BoatsGulfstar Yachts 44

Gulfstar Yachts 44

Masthead Sloop · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · 1978–1984

A masthead sloop designed by Richard C. Lazzara, featuring a fin keel with a skeg-mounted rudder for offshore stability

Designed by Richard C. Lazzara & Vince.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin With Rudder On Skeg

See her sail

The Gulfstar Yachts 44, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from Practical Sailor

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a narrow beam gives 34 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 34
CoastalBluewater

1.78 — just under the 2.0 offshore line; her beam is modest for her weight.

Capsize screening 1.78
LightHeavy

259 — moderately heavy for her waterline, a balanced cruising weight.

Displacement / length 259
EasygoingPowered-up

14.8 — modest power for her weight; easygoing rather than lively, and happier with a breeze.

Sail area / displacement 14.8
TenderStiff

33% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 33%

A capable cruiser that sits just inside the offshore line — coastal work with real passages in her.

  • Heavier than ~78% of boats her size on file
  • Draws less than ~85% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2365 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Gulfstar Yachts 44, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Gulfstar Yachts 44 is a 13.6-meter masthead sloop designed by Richard C. Lazzara and Vince Lazzara, built by Gulfstar Yachts from 1978 to 1984 as a center-cockpit fiberglass monohull for offshore cruising. It features a fin keel with a skeg-hung rudder, a 1.7-meter draft, and a displacement of 11,793 kg.1:07 The standard sloop rig carries 875 square feet of sail area.1:50 Below deck, the layout includes two cabins, two heads, and a walk-through galley.2:55 Original power typically consists of a 50-horsepower Perkins 4108 diesel, with fuel capacity ranging from 80 to 100 gallons and water capacity between 150 and 200 gallons.3:51 Practical Sailor notes that prospective buyers should inspect for wet deck coring around hardware penetrations, potential rust in original black iron fuel tanks, and the condition of chain plates often concealed behind cabinetry.6:31 The boat’s solid fiberglass hull and spacious interior make it suitable for modern electrical refits, including high-capacity solar arrays and lithium battery banks.4:34

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen once across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Gulfstar Yachts 44 on video

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
32.7%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
14.8
Displacement / length
259.4
Comfort ratio
34.0
Capsize screening
1.78
Hull speed
8.0 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1669
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
FG/ solid hull & balsa cored deck
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
1978–1984
Units built
105
Designer
Richard C. Lazzara, Vince
Builder
Gulfstar Yachts

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Lafitte Yachts 4413.51 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Robert Perry-designed cutter with a skeg-hung rudder, built for high-quality offshore cruising
Sailing Mexico to California: Couple Disappears on Sailboat - Ep 328 - Lady K Sailing6:18from Lady K Sailing
Norseman 44713.59 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Robert Perry-designed cutter with a skeg-mounted rudder, built for offshore stability and comfortable blue-water cruising
The TRUTH About Bluewater Boats (You Might Not Like This…)2:29from Be The Captain
Contest Yachts 44CS13.50 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA masthead sloop with a skeg-mounted rudder and a 36% ballast ratio, built for stable and capable offshore cruising
[OFF MARKET] Contest 44CS, TRUMPETER | ARC Bluewater Cockpit Conversations '21 (4/5)from Berthon International
Hallberg-Rassy 43 MKI13.57 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA masthead-rigged blue water cruiser featuring a skeg-hung rudder and a stable, heavy-displacement hull
Which Voltage on a Medium Size Cruising Yacht? | Ask The Expert with NIGEL CALDER0:07from BoatHowTo
Morgan Yachts 45213.72 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA masthead ketch with a fin keel and skeg-mounted rudder, engineered for offshore stability and steady passage-making
Chat 16 Provisioning0:30from Maryland School of Sailing
Beneteau 44 CC13.59 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Bruce Farr-designed center cockpit cruiser built for offshore comfort with a stable, moderate displacement hull
Passage Planning | Sailing Britican8:43from SailingBritican

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

Gulfstar Yachts 43A shallow-draft masthead sloop by Vince Lazarra, designed with a long keel for stable, comfortable coastal cruisingGulfstar Yachts 41A fin-keel masthead sloop built from 1973 to 1975, offering a balanced displacement for coastal cruisingGulfstar Yachts 37A Vince Lazzara-designed masthead sloop with a skeg-hung rudder, built for comfortable cruising in a stable 8.8-ton hullGulfstar Yachts 47 SailmasterA heavy-displacement masthead ketch designed for comfortable cruising with a skeg-mounted rudder and shoal draft

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